On Tuesday the 12th, two posts riddled with ‘Big Fat U*U’ in them. Nineteen, to be exact.

But, curiously, on Wednesday the 13th, three posts with no recurrence of that – but plenty of lashing out and vague attacks.

You would think that someone with a difference of opinion over how an organization is run would respond to the retirement of its chief administrator with an optimistic note on the possibility of positive change. No, Robin Edgar has to take more pot shots at Kay Montgomery.

And you would think that, if you talk repeatedly about ‘pedophiles and rapists’ in an organization, you would actually name some, as Robin Edgar had promised to do in his ‘New Year’s resolutions.’ Again, no such luck. Robin Edgar prefers instead to be provocative and sensationalistic – or, should we say, ‘deliberately rude and offensive’?

Robin Edgar keeps demanding that the UUA listen to him. Tell me, Mister Edgar, when you repeatedly describe them with terms like ‘douchebaggery,’ among other insults and perseverations, how do you expect them to take you seriously?

If this latest spate of manic attacks demonstrates anything, it is that Robin Edgar has no interest whatsoever in reconciliation or justice – only in lashing out and drawing attention to himself.

Once again, Robin Edgar publishes another post with another long, bombastic headline about how he’s been victimised by Unitarian Universalists, and his endless crusade against ‘U*U injustices, abuses and hypocrisy’ (read: not doing what he demands).

His latest post is yet another screed about ‘verbally abusive’ UU ministers. No specific examples mentioned, but then again, he’s gone on a tear about so many, we’re sure that even he is losing count.

At any rate, Mister Edgar had also sent a comment to this blog. Considering the content, and his penchant for accusing Unitarian Universalists of ‘hypocrisy’ … well, we shall let our readers decide where he stands:

Oh, nanny nanny boo boo. Having a bad day? Feeling a little insecure about yourself? Talk to your therapist. “RobinEdgarSucks.wordpress.com?” Are you in sixth grade? I just hope to God you’re not Big Fat U*U Ministry. I hope you be annoying you U*Us a lot in the new year. Seems like you U*Us could use it. – TEA

Once again, Robin Edgar has made another list of resolutions on his ‘Emerson Avenger’ blog, all related to his obsessive need to try to bring down Unitarian Universalism for failing to stroke his ego.

The first two are to be expected; he claims that he will ‘hold accountable’ the UUA and their Canadian law firm for their civil actions against his continual harassment and defamation. How? Golly, could we see yet more picketing and rage-filled screeds? After all, the only time he took legal action, with the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, his complaint was dismissed for lack of merit. Still, we shouldn’t be surprised if he attempts some sort of counter-suit.

But the most outrageous on his list of resolutions is as follows:

Blog about at least two other well documented cases of Unitarian Universalist clergy or U*U Religious Educators who have actually been charged with, and convicted of, engaging in the despicable crime known as pedophilia.

We have seen this before, with his relentlessly repeating rants about former UU minister Mack Mitchell. The man was turned in by members of his own congregation, suspended from ministry during legal proceedings, and formally stripped of his ministerial credentials once convicted. But no, this isn’t good enough for Robin Edgar. Apparently he wants ‘U*U justice’ to be impossibly swift and sure. Would it help, Mister Edgar, if the Ministerial Fellowship Committee traveled back in time to undo everything? Considering his obsessive desire to hold grudges, we wouldn’t be surprised if even that was not good enough for him!

For all we know, the cases he’s talking about could involve people reported to the UUA by active UUs, and acted upon promptly and properly by both UU officials and law enforcement. It could also be that these are cases from long before the UUA had learned its lesson and implemented better policies for dealing with issues of professional misconduct, and for which the UUA has apologised and made restitution.

But, as we have seen before, nothing the UUA or any UU minister or leader could ever do will ever satisfy him. His self-defeating efforts are but sad attempts to bring down an organization and a movement devoted to compassion and forgiveness – something which, from what we can tell of his statements and behaviour, he seems very sorely lacking. It is a shame that a man with such energy must waste so much of it lashing out at a religious community instead of moving on and trying to build something better. Remember, also, this is a man who has refused to promise to remain non-violent in his so-called quest for ‘justice’. All we can do, sad to say, is remain vigilant and hopeful that he will not escalate into something much worse.

So far, Robin Edgar has done scant little aside from attack, insult, harass and slander. He’s not just annoyingly repetitive and unimaginative, he’s so overwhelmingly negative that he constantly begs the question … Just what does this man want?!?

(And we’re not sure even he knows the answer to that question.)

Now we do not agree with every Unitarian Universalist blogger out there, or with everything that the UUA does or stands up for, but we can certainly applaud when somebody takes the time to go beyond mere criticism and propose a constructive alternative.

One such blogger, having noted some serious shortcomings in the way the UUA handles complaints from individuals, proposed establishing an ombudspersonto field such complaints. At the very least, this blogger suggests, this UU ombudsperson could at least direct people with complaints to the right office or individual.

Tell us, Robin Edgar, would you approve of this idea? Since you can’t come up with an idea like this on your own, the least you can do is support this proposal.

Then again, Mister Edgar has expressed so much disdain for this particular blogger, it’s unlikely he’ll have anything positive to say about it.

Come to think of it, we can’t recall when Robin Edgar has had anything positive or constructive to say at all.

So, what do you say, Robin? Could you at least try to move beyond carping and lashing out, and give a concrete constructive proposal?

Don’t ever play cards with Robin Edgar. Because, if he plays the same way he responds to Unitarian Universalists, then he’s bound to rig the deck in his favour. Always.

If you’re a UU minister, and you post something on your blog which he does not like, then he attacks you. He’ll even file a ‘formal complaint of clergy misconduct’ (albeit to the wrong people) against you, and demand a response.

If he does not get a response to his misplaced ‘formal complaint’, then he will continually hound and harass the President of the UUA for one (even though the President’s office is not where such complaints are supposed to be delivered)

Well, let us say that you now remove the offending post, for whatever reason. Still not good enough. Now you are guilty of ‘memory-holing,’ because in Robin Edgar’s bizarre view of reality, you can never ever make amends for any mistake, and you must be forced to live with your mistakes forever and ever and ever.

One of the most ridiculous ways in which Robin Edgar carries on his crusade is to pick one comment by one UU blogger (often out of context) and make it appear to be absolutely true for all Unitarian Universalists everywhere.

Such is his recent appropriation of Reverend Tont Lorentzen’s opinion that UUs ‘suck’ at feeding the hungry. Mister Edgar would have us believe that this minister will (or should) be subjected to ‘UU bullying’ for his ‘defamation’.

Of course, he doesn’t mention how he has been bullying, harassing and maligning UUs for nearly two decades now, in a personal vendetta of misguided narcissism.

Nor did he even bother to demonstrate that Lorentzen’s opinion is indeed untrue. A simple websearch (remember those, Mister Edgar) would have revealed the following UU congregations with projects or partnerships on feeding the hungry in various communities:

UU Church of Columbus

UU Congregation of Monmouth County

UU Church in Summit

UU Church in Cherry Hill

Gloucester UU Church

Hope UU Church in Tulsa

Magic Valley UU Fellowship

UU Congregation in Santa Rosa

East Shore UU Church

First Parish UU Church in Canton

UU Fellowship of Fayetteville

UUs of Santa Clarita Valley

Cedar Lane UU Church

UU Church of Savannah

UU Church of Muncie

UU Congregation of Shelter Rock

UU Church of Rockville

UU Congregation of Lakeland

Harbor UU Congregation

Tennessee Valley UU Church

UU Congregation of Hillsboro

UU Church of Reading

UU Fellowship of Huntington

First Parish UU Church in Bridgewater

UU Church of Haverhill

UU Fellowship of Waco

UU Congregation of the Quad Cities

Perhaps Mister Edgar should ‘eat his own words’ – or even bother to do some good himself, like volunteering for a worthy program in Montreal, rather than ranting and picketing and lashing out.

After Robin Edgar’s latest ‘Emerson Avenger’ post, repeating once again his overblown ‘charges’ against Reverend Cynthia Cain, we can just picture him like Glenn Close’s famous character:

‘I’m not going to be IGNO-O-O-ORED, UUs!!!’

And just like Michael Douglas, we’re left trying to explain to him: ‘You just don’t get it, do you?’

Sadly, no. Robin Edgar does not ‘get’ how his outlandish behaviour constitutes harassment, or how it differs from the conduct of the UU ministers he obsessively fixates upon.

Cynthia Cain posted a comment on her own blog about the mean-spirited words and actions of certain US Republican leaders. She pretty much left it at that.

Robin Edgar, on the other hand, notoriously doesn’t ‘leave it at that’ when he targets you. No, a single blog post is not enough – he must blog about you constantly. And comment about you on other blogs and Internet forums constantly. And barrage you with emails constantly. And, just for good measure, make a picket sign referring to you, and use it in his ‘peaceful public protests’ constantly.

Do you now see why we are concerned about how far he might be willing to go? Anybody this obsessed, and who feels ignored, to the point of ruining his own life on a hopeless crusade to ruin others, will not stop merely at verbal abuse and harassment.

Most people would have let go and moved on long ago. But not when they are as obsessive, self-centered, rage-filled and ‘entitled’ as Robin Edgar. He’s not going to be ignored.

Perhaps, then, we are doing a service. By not ignoring him, by warning UUs and others about the potential danger of his warped mindset and behaviour, we are diverting him away from a potential escalation to violence.

We can only hope, just as we hope that he will finally get the help he needs.

The latest from Robin Edgar is his objection to a Canadian law firm, ostensibly representing the Unitarian Universalist Association and specific minister, serving him a notice that he ‘cease and desist’ from his more offensive and sexually charged comments. In particular, he fixates on references to a law against ‘blasphemous libel’, insisting that, in spite of his repeated verbal attacks and harassment, he is not ‘defaming the entire religion.’ Fitting for his narcissism, he delivers his objections in not one but two videos of him standing in front of the Unitarian Church of Montreal, rambling and ranting about his ‘right’ to endlessly lash out with deliberately offensive comments.

One thing missing from this whole response: actual proof that this is for real! Yes, Robin Edgar has copied a portion of a letter, but nothing more. He has also held up two pieces of paper and read from them, claiming that they were sent to him as a PDF file. Let us now leave aside the fact that (according to a solicitor we consulted) such notices must be delivered by certified mail; the question remains why Mister Edgar has not posted both a scanned copy the entire contents of this letter and evidence of its delivery. Additionally, it is interesting to note that the Canadian Unitarian Council – the official voice for Unitarian Universalism in Canada – is conspicuously absent from all of this.

Yes, we have reason to doubt Mister Edgar’s truthfulness. He has been known for distorting what others say, selectively reporting on events, and even making brazen false accusations (ie, accusing a minister of plagiarizing him about a map’s resemblance to a bird). He has made numerous claims without any proof, such as his supposed ‘certificate of sanity’, and launched into self-righteous tirades when asked to produce evidence to back his dubious statements.

Let us actually see this letter, Robin Edgar. Let us see proof that everything you claim is indeed true. And even if it is true, it is no excuse for your continuing to attack, harass and offend just to fill your narcissistic craving for attention and warped ideas of vindication.

It’s no surprise that Robin Edgar reads one UU minister’s blog entry, critical of some aspect of Unitarian Universalism, and makes it into a broad denunciation of anything and everything UUs believe and do. But this time his accusation is the greatest of all hypocrisies.

Yes, Robin Edgar has decreed that Unitarian Universalists are narcissists.

This from the man who, for some two decades, has lashed out at an increasing number of UU ministers and leaders and congregations, indeed the entire UU movement, because they will not do what he demands. Nothing else matters to Robin Edgar but what Robin Edgar wants. Fail to do so, and he sees it as justification to insult, belittle, attack and harass those whom he once idealized and now devalues.

Forget that Unitarian Universalists have done so much work for the benefit of others, simply because it is the right thing to do. Unitarians and Universalists worked for the abolition of slavery, equality for women, helping refugees from Nazi Germany, civil rights and racial equality, and now equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Not good enough for Robin Edgar, and not simply because Unitarian Universalists are no more perfect than anybody else. No, it’s not good enough for Robin Edgar because Robin Edgar does not like how some UUs treated him.

Nor does it matter how outrageous his own behaviour has been. If the Unitarian Church of Montreal will not authorise a second ‘Creation Day’ event, then he believes himself justified to throw a temper tantrum, accuse others in the church of intolerance, and demand that the minister meet him in his small apartment – and nowhere else – to ‘explain’ why total eclipses are such spiritual events.

It also does not matter that UUs have always been engaged in self-critical discussions about the evolution of our faith, and the needs of our members. Once again, another example of his egoistic black-and-white thinking – only those who kowtow to him are good and right, and anybody who dares to question or criticise him are bad and wrong.

For Robin Edgar to accuse anybody else of narcissism is a classic example of ‘the pot calling the kettle black.’ Of course, when somebody becomes as self-centred and self-absorbed as he is, it’s expected that he fails to see this. All we can hope is that UUs will remember all the good we have, and can continue, to do, and learn from that.

So once again he spirals into another blast of manic posts, lashing out at UUs refusing to indulge his immature need for absolute attention.

But here is the most pathetic – and hypocritical – part of this never-ending cycle in the life of Robin Edgar. While he decries UUs, especially UU ministers, of allegedly being insulting and rude to him, he goes out of his way to behave in even more rude and insulting behaviour, then acts as shocked as Claude Rains in ‘Casablanca’ that they would respond the way they do.

Yes, of course, he has repeatedly tried to distance himself from his actions, often by claiming that it’s not really him who is so obnoxious, but his supposed alter ego, ‘The Emerson Avenger’. Read this excerpt from a comment on his blog, dated Sunday, July 12th, 2009:

‘The Emerson Avenger is something of a “persona” aka an “act” and is often quite deliberately rude and “in your face” offensive’

The cycle continues. He doesn’t like what a Unitarian Universalist says, either about him or anything else. He considers it a deliberate insult to him, so he now considers himself justified in insulting, attacking and harassing the UU in question. When called on the carpet for his behaviour, he attempts to distance himself: ‘That wasn’t me, that was my persona!’ And the reason for this ‘act’? The big bad UU was mean to him, so that justifies his even worse behaviour. When the victim of his obsessive lashing out realizes that responding to his juvenile antics only leads to more of the same, and decides to break the cycle by both refusing to respond and denying him from hijacking thier Twitter account or blog, guess what? Robin Edgar decrees that this is another ‘reason’ for expressing his rage. How dare UUs ignore him!

Respond to him, and he lashes out. Ignore him, and he lashes out. You can’t win, break even, or even leave the game.

This is Robin Edgar’s ultimate hypocrisy. He demands that UUs be perfect, and when they are not, then he proclaims them evil, stupid, and every other insult he can throw at them – while he, conversely, is blameless and righteous in all things, and more importantly, deserving of attention if not outright adulation and submission to his will.

You can’t have it both ways, Mister Edgar. You can’t demand of others a standard which you yourself refuse to live by. And no matter how many times you try to rationalize your ‘deliberately rude and “in your face” offensive’ behaviour, there is simply no excuse for it. Even your pathetic attempts at distancing yourself from what you do is meaningless. After all, you created your so-called ‘Emerson Avenger persona’, and are thus ultimately responsible for everything you attribute to that ‘act’.